My brother Dean has ALS.
He's only a few years older than me, and he's been dealing with the
dreaded disease for 9 years. I had no clue what it was at first, and
when I read, "fatal, 2 - 4 years life expectancy," I cried for days. It
was Dean who had to live with it, day by day as his body changed and
he began loosing his ability to do things we all take for granted.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(also known as ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, or motor neuron disease) is a
disease that gradually paralyzes people because the brain is no longer
able to communicate with the muscles of the body that we are typically
able to move at will. Over time, as the muscles of the body break down,
someone living with ALS will lose the ability to walk, talk, eat,
swallow, and eventually breathe..."

I moved back to Canada from the Bahamas in late summer 2011; and
before winter 2012, I moved my mother in with me. She was not thrilled
about living in the Vancouver area because she doesn't like the damp
climate.

"I've raised seven children; been butchered up by the
doctors after being in the hospital sixteen times," she likes to remind
us, even though seven of those times were to deliver babies. "Vancouver
weather just makes my bones ache."

But mom agreed to move in with
me anyway, and we were living in a high rise on the 33rd floor. "The
bird cage," she quickly dubbed it. She loved the views, the sunrises,
but hated everything else about it. All that said, mom's health
improved week by week, likely due to...

If you knew me in my early days in Grand Bahama (before TheBahamasWeekly.com),
I was always taking photos no matter where I went. I am not sure if
it's my desire to record my life, and those of the people I love, or
the example my mother led documenting much of our lives in photos (which
was rare in those days). I grew up with a wall full of photo albums
all in date order, my mom was that organized.

The beauty of taking so many photos is that one day they become treasures.

I was going through my online photos the other day and came upon a Sweetings Cay album...

Arizona resident,
Dennis Keogh wanted to remain active after his retirement while having
fun with his impersonation of Sean Connery which he was continually
developing and refining. He soon realized he could be successful as a
celebrity impersonator, and has since become known as the 'World's Best
James Bond Impersonator'.

A lifelong fan of Sean Connery, Keogh now has his own fans from all over the world thanks to the Internet. In fact, Phoenix Magazine listed Dennis in
its '101 Things To Do' in Phoenix where they suggest you hire Dennis
for a night on the town and introduce him as your 'uncle Sean.'

Although he's never met Connery, he has studied the Bond character and Connery's work for more than 20 years...

Columns :
Robbin's Nest - Robbin WhachellPainting Poppies… Lest We Forget - Nov 11, 2014 - 12:00:14 PMI heard about the poppy painting through social media via
the City of Coquitlam (Canada). A few photos is all it took, along with a
gorgeous sunny fall day yesterday to run out and find Blue Mountain Park
in upper Coquitlam to take some photos of a community based
participatory exhibit (Parkspark) that took place over the past week and
will be featured today, Remembrance Day 2014.

Finding Blue Mountain Park was a delight in itself as it’s a
beautiful park with solid old trees, concrete art sculptures and the
only veteran memorial cenotaph in the City.

What a delight to see the poppies first hand and although I came
late, a couple City workers were still on site and I was able to paint
my own poppy. I was moved by the notes that school children ...

Columns :
Robbin's Nest - Robbin WhachellDo you need a media consultant, publicist or event promoter? - Oct 1, 2014 - 2:24:32 PMLet me help you become
known! Get your name on
Google, and into the newspapers. I have over 8 years experience in
publicity, journalism and editorial writing. I have extensive
experience in public and media relations, and write press releases on a
daily basis. I have written for the Grand Bahama Ministry of
Tourism, Fort Lauderdale International Film
Festival On Location, Atlantis II Research Vessel, and Ross University.
I
have experience working with artists, doctors, musicians, chefs, models,
fashion designers, filmmakers, politicians, lawyers, civic groups; and
experience in liaising with local and international media houses and
global
organizations. I’ve worked with most types of businesses and have a
natural ability to write and communicate effectively...

I
never knew what ALS was until my brother acquired the disease some 5
years ago. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease and is a
progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die gradually
leaving voluntary muscles paralyzed. It usually hits the hands and feet
first with numbness as first signs. Eventually the person cannot walk,
or move their body without aid, and gradually the person needs to be
tube fed and the worst is losing the inability to talk.

When I
learned my older brother Dean had ALS, I was shocked… when I sat down at
the computer to do research, I then became devastated...

It's only been a few
months since Nassau born Chris Lowe of Vancouver started the "Bahamians
in Vancouver" facebook group page in hopes of finding other Bahamians in
the area. When he did, it saw instant results, as within 24 hours the
page had over 40 members.

Those that could attend made it to the
first meetup within the first month hosted at the home of Gareth and Nina Hanna, and a second meetup was scheduled
for July 27th at the Caribbean Days Festival in North Vancouver. The
event is organized by the Trinidad and Tobago Society of B.C., and it
encourages other nations of the Caribbean to come together. The event is
over two days formally but the Society hosts many other events
throughout the year...

I
was in survival mode. Survival mode because I’d been dealing with a
separation, which was a pretty big deal when you are living in a country
where you are a foreigner. I had just finished working for Disney’s
Pirates of the Caribbean II and III, and I was trying to sort out my
next move. Surviving as a single mom with four children, amid the
nastiness and pain of separation and divorce was taking its toll on me...

St.
Lucian born Parisian fashion celebrity, Vincent Mc Doom, has just been
through one of the toughest times of his life! Two family tragedies
hit within 24 hours, and he had to choose between leaving a Paris
fashion event he was responsible for, or return to St. Lucia to attend
his mother's funeral. Adding to the painful double loss, his brother
was also seriously ill.

The famous actor, fashion icon, and Top Model judge last spoke to his
mother on May 11th for Mother's Day. "I called to wish her a happy
Mother's Day as I do every year, and tell her that I love her," he said.
It was during that phone call that his mother, Victoire McDoom told her
son that she had not been feeling well. She passed the phone on to his
sister, Cyrina, whom she'd been residing with...

Columns :
Robbin's Nest - Robbin WhachellMy Thoughts on International Women's Day - Mar 8, 2014 - 10:37:56 AMInternational
Women's Day is upon us once again, and it's the perfect opportunity to
reflect on the importance of the female component on this planet. It's
interesting to note that there is no International Men's Day and I would
have to think, that's because perhaps one is not necessary (?). There
is a great need for an International Women's Day to express all that is
required to change when it comes to the treatment of women throughout
our world.
Having three daughters, makes this all the more meaningful for me. I
want for them a world that treats women respectfully no matter their
colour, creed or gender.

As a planet, we have still such a long way to go. In some regions I
feel we've actually gone in reverse, as to what were once more
liberated nations...

My mother’s smell is the last thing I embrace as I take my excited but weary self off to bed. She’s been in the kitchen all night preparing food for the next day. My home is nothing but Christmas perfection! My mother reigns supreme at creating ambiance. The tree is stunning and the presents at its base come out at least four feet because of our large family of nine persons. Christmas carols play continuously on the stereo.

I’ve just finished watching “Scrooge” on the TV with my older brothers, and although it scares me so, I love it annually. I make my way through the kitchen and into the family room, which is dimly lit to show the tree and lights around the windows. The outside cold is unfelt by me in my cozy home of family memories. I walk past the candy tree – a fantastic favorite each year...

Being
of Native American heritage, I use in my title a native saying that
represents an interesting idea. Although quite obvious to some, it means
that one should try and imagine placing themselves in someone else’s
shoes to get a good accurate view of that person’s life in hope to bring
understanding of that person. Another way of looking at this idea is to
simply say, "view with compassion."

But what is compassion and why should we have it? Compassion explained in the dictionary is
, “pity aroused by the distress of others, with a desire to help”, and pity is described as
, “feelings of sympathy for the sufferings of others”.

I think many of us do
at least have feelings of gratitude with what has been given to us, no
matter how grim our own lives can be at times...

Coach Donnie Knowles,
has been honoured for his contribution to sports in The Bahamas by the
Kamalamee organization. Although I could not be at the honouring
event at the Regency Theatre on October 27th, I was asked to provide remarks, and a video presentation of same.

I met Donnie and Mary Knowles the first year I moved to Grand Bahama in
1998. I fulfilled a life-long dream of playing soccer when I joined his
team The Predators in the Grand Bahama Football League, which sadly, no
longer exists. The Predators were undefeated in the GBFL and Knowles
took them to 5 national championships.

What was his recipe for success?
Well some say it’s because he always had the best players, but in
actual fact...

Columns :
Robbin's Nest - Robbin WhachellLost in Laundry - May 23, 2013 - 6:43:13 PMI miss hanging
laundry... There is something so right about hanging clothes out on a
line on a sun-filled day. There is nothing like the fresh smell of
clothing that has aired-dried out in nature.

My mother hung
clothes for 9 of us and so I spent a lot of time watching her do so as a
child, or helping her by handing up socks and underwear at the bottom
of the basket. In one of our homes we had an opening on the side of the
house, so mom didn't have to go outside, as the pulley mechanism was
right in the house... that helped on winter days. I recall her pulling
clothes in that were frozen stiff.

When I lived in The Bahamas I would put on my bikini to hang the laundry...

This week I went to visit a peaceful protest where my daughter Loryn attends university here in British Columbia, Canada.
According to their Facebook event page, it involved "various
students and community members speaking to Idle No More topics as well
as traditional drumming and singing throughout the day."

The Simon Fraser University (SFU) press release stated, "
The
Idle No More movement may not be front-and-centre in national media
coverage right now, but that doesn’t mean Aboriginal students, staff and
alumni at SFU have forgotten about it. The global grassroots movement aimed at getting the Canadian government...

I'd always felt blessed that all of my loved ones were alive around me,
while so many families deal with sudden deaths, accidents and sickness.
The whole idea of death and dying waited until now to visit my psyche.

My father lived a full and rich life. I have no regrets regarding our
relationship, and have no thoughts or words left unsaid to my father, as
we had a relationship...

Columns :
Robbin's Nest - Robbin WhachellMy Pecha Kucha Experience... - Mar 14, 2013 - 11:45:11 AMPecha what? I
remembered thinking... I was contacted via Facebook by a new friend from
the same city I live here in Canada. "You seem to have a lot to say,"
he said, "I think you'd be perfect to speak at this event".
Pecha Kucha (Japanese:
chit-chat) is a presentation methodology in which 20 slides are shown
for 20 seconds each (six minutes and 40 seconds in total - timed - you cannot pause). The format,
which keeps presentations concise and fast-paced, powers
multiple-speaker events called Pecha Kucha
Nights...

We claim we live in an advanced society, yet atrocities against girls
and women are at an all time high. Human trafficking, child brides, the
sex slave trade, and honour killings or violence against women due to
cultural norms is still a bold challenge we all face on this planet.

Yet there are those sisters who have risen above many odds to be where
they are today. More females are holding top titles in jobs where
important decisions affecting others are being made.

Columns :
Robbin's Nest - Robbin WhachellSlow Down for Christmas - Dec 20, 2012 - 10:56:17 PMI seem to have a more
difficult time each year getting into the spirit of Christmas. I am not
sure if that is because the youngest of my four children is now sixteen,
or the ever present commercialism that puts me off in such a way, that I
attempt to have no part in it. My eldest and I joke that it should be
called 'Giftmas'.

I feel almost justified about going easy on the holiday season now as I
feel I gave my children idyllic childhood Christmas'. Something I grew
up with. Before moving to The Bahamas we lived in a log home in North
Vancouver on the ocean at the base of a mountain, and it was a picture
perfect scene each year. When we moved we carried all our Christmas
heirlooms with us. I ended up getting rid of most of them when we
returned to Canada, all save the baby ornaments that were bought for
each child in their first year of life, each containing a baby photo...